THE 2007 BATTLES ARE OVER. CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. MAXIMILLIAN RHEINHARDT!

what the hell is a laptop battle?

The laptop battle is a competitive event for laptop musicians to match their skills against one another.
Battles are chosen randomly and conducted in 2 or 3 minute rounds. A panel of judges decides which contestant advances to the next round, double elimination style.
It's fusion of sound design, composition and stage performance, and a chance for laptop musicians to prove their skills in battle and develop techniques and strategies.
Battles are held throughout the United States during the year, culminating in one final competition in Seattle every December to crown a National Champion.
Atlanta is sending one representative to the National Finals, along with over $1000 worth of software.

could it be you?


the rules:

There are two (2) qualifying battles and one (1) final battle.
Each battle is a double-elimination tournament.
There are three (3) judges per battle.
Judging is loosely based on these criteria:

Judging Guidelines

- EMOTIONAL IMPACT - It's hard to judge on a thing like originality, so we need to break it down to the basics....are you feelin' it or not? This is a laptop battle, a punk soundclash delivered via a little silver box that's been programed to destroy. Ya'lll are producers and know what to look for. For me, it's that moment where my blood starts to rush to my head and i break out in a big smile...

- PERFORMANCE - It's not easy to "perform" with a laptop. Each contestant is allowed 1 Midi controller, which allows them to interface with their music software via knobs, faders, buttons, keys, pads, etc. This is their weapon of choice, the way they have chosen to interface with their musical creation...you want to see 'em workin' that shit!

- SONG DEVELOPMENT - Hooks,builds and breakdowns. Sounds, patterns and movement. How well they are fit together live will be your decision.

- CROWD RESPONSE - Crowd response could be described as how loud the audience cheers for one contestant or the other. Or it could be their reaction to the battle on the dancefloor as the track is played. Perhaps an exodus to the bar? The crowd is like a barometer, it predicts the obvious outcomes, but isn't always right. Other times, there is a contestant with a bunch of fans who are there to be heard. Ultimately, you make the decision. Remember: There are no rematches.

Each contestant is allowed to bring ONE (1) laptop, ONE (1) external sound card, and ONE (1) external "controller" (MIDI, extra numeric pad, etc.)

Each preliminary battle is capped at 16 contestants, and consists of two (2) minute rounds.

The top four (4) from each qualifying battle will return to compete in the 8-person, 1 champion final battle.

the when:

There are two (2) preliminary battles: There is one (1) final battle:

the prizes:

- a slot at the Championship Battle, December 2007 in Seattle
- Ableton Live "Sampler" Instrument
- Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor or Massive
- Tracktion recording software from Mackie
- Sonic Charge's ยต-tonic drum machine VST plugin
- Fab Filter's "One" synth VST plugin
- Fresh gear from Soy Clothing
- Replikant VST plugin from Audio Damage
- Phoscyon VST, by D16
- M-Audio - Mid Air 25 MIDI controller


questions, comments, and feedback may be directed to threv
thanks, and good luck.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Battle 2 Synopsis

i'm so damn late on this. i send my deepest apologies.
HUGE THANKS to everyone who competed; this is solid fucking proof that this town is full of amazing talent.
I'm listening to the battle 2 mp3s and I"m absolutely floored

Big ups to judges Omar Torres, Richard Devine, and John Jacobus.
Thanks to everyone who was there.

I also apologize for the bracket debacles in Preliminary 2. Thanks to everyone for being so patient & understanding.

Everyone was _absolutely amazing_. I look forward to seeing all of the battlers in future musical endeavors, and
I would love to book more shows with anyone interested as well as "exhibition" battles over the next year.

battle 2 mp3s:
http://www.nophi.net/laptopbattle/2007/10/round-2-mp3s.html

battle 2 videos:
42 Videos on Youtube (in a big playlist, not sorted, sequence numbered):
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=162590F1FB37DFCA

Photos from Graham Coleman's camera:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73155597@N00/sets/72157601524658085/

PRELIMINARY 2 SYNOPSIS:
- The winners of prelim 2 were:
Travis H
Andrew P
Citizen Green
Josh Clayton

Thanks to everyone who competed.

Travis H has had to back out of the final battle, and El Hadron is in his place.

THE FINAL BATTLE:
WEB FLYER (for message boards & myspace) - www.nophi.net/laptopbattle/lb-final-webflyer.jpg
PRINT FLYER (11" x 17", please print & post wherever you call home) - http://www.nophi.net/laptopbattle/lb-final-11x17-2up.pdf

Thursday October 18
Lenny's Bar
9:00 PM

Contestants:
Poodleface
Maximillian Reinhardt
pH
Charlie P
Andrew Provine
El Hadron
Josh Clayton
Citizen Green

One winner will be sent to Seattle on December 1 to compete in the National Laptop Battle Finals.
Come root for your favorite battler, or heckle your least favorite. The judging has been slightly altered this time around
to make it more in line w/the final battle.

posted by threv at 4:00 PM

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